With the current suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours, we are opening up our US Open vault to bring you full match videos of classic encounters through the years in New York.
Join us Saturday at 4 p.m. ET for the latest #USOpenClassics on Facebook Live and Twitter. Next up in the series is a full-match live stream of the 2005 semifinal between Kim Clijsters and Maria Sharapova. The full match will be posted on Sunday on the US Open YouTube Channel.
It took six match points and three sets for Kim Clijsters to close the door on freshly minted world No. 1 Maria Sharapova in this 2005 semifinal. The Belgian had five chances to end things in straight sets, but Sharapova repeatedly raised her game at the decisive moments to extend this thriller into a decider in the Arthur Ashe Stadium sunshine.
Both popular with the New York crowd, Clijsters (then 22) and Sharapova (then 18) each escaped three-set quarterfinals to set up this matchup. After both women cruised into the last eight without dropping a set, Clijsters went the distance against No. 9 seed Nadia Petrova, while Sharapova took out No. 10 Venus Williams.
Clijsters entered the semifinal with a perfect record against her Russian opponent, and her victory improved her lifetime record to 4-0 in the head-to-head while booking her place in her fifth career major final. Previously 0-4 in those finals, she would go on to defeat Mary Pierce, 6-3, 6-1, to win her first of four career Grand Slam titles
A three-time champ in New York (2005, 2009, 2010), the Belgian also won the Australian Open in 2011. After winning the 2005 title, Clijsters would not compete again at the US Open until 2009 due to injury and retirement.
The Clijsters-Sharapova lifetime series ended 5-4 in favor of Clijsters. The pair also met in the 2007 Australian Open semifinals and the 2012 Olympic quarterfinals, with Sharapova taking both of those high-profile matchups in straight sets.
One year after dropping the 2005 semifinal, Sharapova made amends by winning the 2006 US Open women's singles title—her second career Slam trophy—defeating world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo (semis) and No. 2 Justine Henin (final).
Watch the full #USOpenClassics match via Facebook Live and Twitter on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. For a coming attraction, view the highlights below.
